Charged for Undelivered Work and No Accounting of Hours
Our experience was extremely disappointing.
The only interaction we had with the lawyer was a brief introductory call of approximately 20 minutes. We never had the actual client meeting where both spouses would discuss our circumstances, goals, assets, and the terms of the proposed postnuptial agreement. We also had not provided detailed instructions or direction regarding what we wanted included in the agreement.
Despite this, we were later charged approximately $1,300 for work that the firm claimed had been completed.
What makes this particularly concerning is that no work was ever delivered to us. We repeatedly requested a copy of the work we were being charged for, but the firm refused to provide it. Instead, we were told it could only be viewed during a Zoom meeting. If we were being billed for completed work, we believe we should have been able to receive and review it.
We also repeatedly requested a detailed accounting of the billable hours and an explanation of the work performed. No such accounting was provided.
Most importantly, we never even had the initial client meeting necessary to provide instructions for a postnuptial agreement. Without that meeting, and without receiving our directions or requirements, it is difficult to understand how a meaningful draft could have been created in the first place. The firm has never provided any evidence showing what work was done, how much time was spent on it, or why the charges were justified.
After the lawyer was away from Friday through Monday, we emailed on Monday advising that we no longer wished to proceed with the service. We were nevertheless charged approximately $1,300 and later faced additional late fees while attempting to obtain an explanation and supporting documentation.
In summary, we were charged significant fees for work that was never delivered, never substantiated with billable-hour records, and allegedly completed before we had even participated in the initial client meeting needed to provide instructions for the agreement. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend this firm.
Reply from Angrovelaw
Hi, I'm sorry you have not received clarity on your legal matter. Unlike other law firms we do not work on an hourly basis and provide flat feee legal services. So even if a final draft was not completed our team still has to review you and your partner's intake forms and financial disclosure before we can start putting together the right clauses and questions to bring to your in your meetings. We do charge for this work, and make it clear when you review our legal services agreement how and when this billing is done.
If you would like a full breakdown of the work that was completed please email us at payments@angrovelaw.ca and we would be more than happy to provide a detailed list of the work that was completed.